Rocket Crafters Eyes Point-to-Point
Flights Connecting Florida and Colorado (Source: Spaceport
Colorado)
Rocket Crafters, a startup point-to-point spaceflight firm that
recently announced plans to locate thier headquarters on Florida's
Space Coast, has signed a letter of intent to locate additional
operations and training activities at "Spaceport Colorado", situated at
the Front Range Airport east of Denver. In addition to the
Colorado-based activities (which could support up to 80 jobs), the
company plans to conduct test flights between Spaceport Colorado and
their Space Coast headquarters...at the "Neil Armstrong International
Air & Space Center" situated on the Space Coast Executive Airport,
in Titusville near the entrance to Kennedy Space Center. Click here. (10/11)

Officials Eye Changes In Satellite
Export Policy (Source: Aviation Week)
Satellite industry officials are optimistic about the prospects for
reversing a ban put in place in the late 1990s on the export of
commercial satellites and dual-use technologies to prevent the transfer
of technology to China. "There is great hope,” says Michael Gold of
Bigelow Aerospace, who leads an export control working group advising
the FAA on commercial space matters. “We have never been closer to
getting this done.”

Since commercial satellites were placed under International Trafficking
in Arms Regulations, the U.S. industry has watched its market erode. It
has been fighting for years to reverse the ban on satellite exports.
The House version of the defense authorization bill contains a
bipartisan provision that would allow the president to remove
commercial satellites from the heavily regulated U.S. Munitions List to
the Commerce Control List, allowing those to be more freely traded.

The version of the bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee
does not contain the language. Sen. Mike Bennet (D-CO) is proposing a
similar amendment to the Senate bill. But it all comes down to whether
the Senate approves the defense authorization bill, as it has annually
for more than 50 years. Despite the bill’s history of legislative
success there is a question about whether Congress can move the defense
policy bill, given the other items that need to be addressed in a short
post-election, lame-duck session. (10/11)

ORBCOMM Satellite Reenters, After
Stranded by Falcon 9 Anomaly (Source: Space Policy Online)
ORBCOMM confirmed this afternoon that its prototype OG2 satellite that
was stranded in the wrong orbit after the Falcon 9 anomaly has
reentered. The company said earlier that it was investigating whether
onboard propulsion could be used to boost it into a higher orbit, but
that apparently was not possible. ORBCOMM said that during the short
time OG2 was in orbit they were able to obtain engineering data and
"made significant strides in testing various hardware components." The
solar array and communications payload antenna were successfully
deployed and basic functions of the satellite bus were successfully
tested. (10/11)

Aerojet Details New SLS Rocket Booster
Bid (Source: Flight Global)
Aerojet informally unveiled a "brand new" rocket engine program at the
International Astronautical Congress in early October. The new AJ-1-E6
dual-combustion chamber engine has been designed to have total trust of
1 million pounds (4448kN). It is one of the engines bidding to power
the two external boosters of later versions of the US Space Launch
System (SLS) heavy lift rocket, with which NASA plans to launch
astronauts on missions to the Moon, asteroids and eventually Mars.

"We are negotiating for a contract involving technology risk reduction
for an engine of 1 mllion pounds thrust," says Julie Van Kleek. Van
Kleek was careful to describe the AJ-1-E6 as "brand new engine." Often,
'new' rocket engines are derivative of existing designs. Aerojet will
be demonstrating the engine design's resistance to combustion
instability, a pressure oscillation phenomenon that has dogged several
liquid fuel engine designs.

Some US politicians have urged that USA should reduced its
over-reliance on Russian designed LOx/kerosene rocket technology. For
example, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V, one of the US standard
launch vehicles, uses a licence-produced RD-180 Russian engine. (10/11)

Florida-Based IHMC Uses NASA Tech for
Robotic Exoskeleton (Source: SpaceRef)
A new robotic space technology spinoff derived from NASA's Robonaut 2
project someday may help astronauts stay healthier in space and aid
paraplegics in walking here on Earth. Robonaut 2, the first humanoid
robot in space, currently is working with astronauts aboard the
International Space Station.

NASA and The Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC)
of Pensacola, Florida, with the help of engineers from Oceaneering
Space Systems, have jointly developed a robotic exoskeleton called X1.
The 57-pound device is a robot that a human could wear over his or her
body either to assist or inhibit movement in leg joints. In the inhibit
mode, it would be used as an in-space exercise machine to supply
resistance against leg movement. It could be used in reverse on the
ground, potentially helping some individuals walk for the first time.
(10/11)

Should We Terraform Venus First?
(Source: io9)
As a future terraforming species, we take it for granted that Mars will
be our first megaproject. But while transforming the Red Planet into
something more hospitable for life seems the most logical — if not
easiest — first step towards colonizing the solar system, it may
actually make more sense to tackle our sister planet first. Because
some scientists warn of a runaway greenhouse effect here on Earth, it
may be prudent for us to terraform Venus first — a planet that has
already undergone a carbon dioxide-induced apocalypse. And by doing so,
we may learn how to prevent or reverse a similar catastrophe here on
Earth. Click here.
(10/11)

Private Asteroid-Hunting Space
Telescope to Launch in 2017 (Source: Space.com)
A private space telescope mission that aims to discover 500,000
near-Earth asteroids is technically sound and on track for a 2017
launch, a review panel says. The mission design and implementation
plans for the Sentinel Space Telescope — which is being put together by
the nonprofit B612 Foundation and its partner Ball Aerospace — are
solid, according to the panel, which is called the Sentinel Special
Review Team.

"This is a major milestone in the development of Sentinel, and has
validated the enormous amount of design and planning work that has
already been carried out by Ball Aerospace," SSRT chair Tom Gavin,
former director for solar system exploration at NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement. Click here.
(10/11)

Kickstarter Funding Sought for
Asteroid Mining Game (Source: Kickstarter)
Blackspace is a defensive action / strategy game that takes place in
the not too distant future, when asteroid mining has become common.
Piloting a mining craft around a unique series of asteroids, you will
be establishing mining operations while defending yourself from
incoming enemies who loot and destroy. The key features in this game
are a destructible spherical play surface, direct control of the
environment and extensive use of physics to make the experience more
organic and non-formulaic. Upgrade and modify your ship and your
operations to suit your play style. Click here.
(10/11)

Space Funding Startup Uwingu to Unveil
1st Product (Source: Space.com)
A new startup company Uwingu, which aims to offer an alternative
funding source for space projects, is gearing up to launch its first
product soon. Uwingu, which means "sky" in Swahili, will aim to provide
money for space exploration, research and education at a time when
government funding is tight. To do this, the company plans to sell a
series of products and use the revenue for science. Company officials
have been tight-lipped about what kind of products it will sell, saying
only that they plan to unveil the first by the end of this month or
early November, and begin to sell it in early 2013. (10/11)

Astronauts Have Ice Cream Party
(Source: NBC)
The three astronauts on the International Space Station are having ice
cream for dessert tonight — and we're not talking about that spongy
"astronaut ice cream" stuff. This is the vanilla chocolate-swirl ice
cream that was delivered in a research freezer aboard the SpaceX Dragon
cargo ship that arrived on Wednesday. "We don't usually have this type
of stuff up here. It's usually thermostabilized or dehydrated [food]
that we're dehydrating. So homemade ice cream is something special, and
we're going to have a little party." Editor's Note: OK SpaceX, time to get busy with Ben & Jerry's to design a specialty flavor for delivery on the next Dragon mission. (10/11)NASA Knows How to Attract Social Media
Crowd (Source: Network World)
A T-shirt, free software, maybe even an iPad if you're really lucky:
These are the types of enticements most social media teams are able to
offer in order to pump up their followings on Facebook, Twitter and
Google+. Not NASA. No sir, there will be none of that pedestrian swag
for our nation's space agency. NASA is offering its social media
followers a "hard hat tour." Anybody can buy an iPad. NASA has more
info about how you might score an invitation here. (10/11)

Lagrangian Point Gaining Appeal As
Next Stop For Humans (Source: Aviation Week)
International space partners are starting to feel their way beyond
their orbiting station for mankind's next step into the Solar System.
Some of them at the 63rd International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in
Naples are finding a lot more to like about the Earth-Moon Lagrangian
points, and particularly the L-2 site beyond the far side of the Moon.

While cash-strapped governments scramble to squeeze as much value as
they can out of the International Space Station (ISS), scientists and
market-hungry space companies around the world are leading the way
toward the curious regions in space where gravity is largely nulled by
pairs of celestial bodies. As a result, spacecraft can essentially
hover there without using much energy. The infrared James Webb Space
Telescope (JWST) is being developed for the supercold temperatures at
the Sun-Earth L-2 point.

Space-exploration architects have long eyed the Earth-Moon L-2 as a way
point where spacecraft carrying humans bound deeper into the Solar
System can be assembled. More recently, it has drawn attention as a
possible hand-off point where astronauts could rendezvous with vehicles
transporting samples collected robotically on Mars (AW&ST Oct. 1,
p. 36). Spacecraft circling in “halo orbits” around the far-side L-2
point can move on with relatively little change in velocity, compared
to taking off or landing in the “gravity wells” of the Earth, Moon or
Mars. (10/8)

New Rules for Meteorite Hunters
Unveiled (Source: Space.com)
It’s official! A fishing license for the sky. The Bureau of Land
Management, under the U.S. Department of the Interior, has issued
Instruction Memorandum No. 2012-182. It establishes policy governing
the collection of meteorites found on public lands. The policy, issued
Sep. 10, provides guidance to the BLM’s field office managers for
administering the collection of meteorites on public lands in three
"use categories," said Derrick Henry, a public affairs specialist for
BLM in Washington, D.C. (10/11)

Next Generation of Spaceflight Taking
Shape in Mojave (Source: LA Times)
For half a century, venturing into space has been the primary domain of
governments that can afford to spend billions of dollars developing and
sending massive rockets into the final frontier. Today, private
companies are eagerly competing to capitalize on and profit from the
governmental feats. The 3,300-acre site with a 2-mile-long runway has
been transformed into an energetic commercial space hub, drawing
projects bankrolled by British billionaire Richard Branson, Microsoft
Corp. co-founder Paul Allen and other aerospace visionaries.

With technological advances that they say will make rocketry more
affordable, these new companies are focusing on an array of ventures
such as lifting space tourists briefly into sub-orbit and launching
satellites and cargo far into space. Companies at Mojave are trying to
make space travel for tourists as common as cross-country commercial
airline flights. In addition, they're trying to win NASA contracts. The
space agency has begun hiring privately funded start-up companies for
spacecraft development and outsourcing missions. Click here.
(10/11)

Testing Mars and Moon Soil for
Sheltering Astronauts From Radiation (Source: Space Daily)
Space is awash with charged particles, meaning that astronauts are
officially classed as radiation workers. The International Space
Station orbits within Earth's magnetic field, safeguarding its
occupants from the bulk of space radiation. To venture further out,
dedicated shielding will be required. Humans venturing beyond Earth
orbit deeper into space face increased exposure to cosmic radiation, so
ESA has teamed with Germany's GSI particle accelerator to test
potential shielding for astronauts, including Moon and Mars soil.

ESA's two-year project is assessing the most promising materials for
shielding future astronauts going to the Moon, the asteroids or Mars.
Radiation shielding can be counter-intuitive because denser and thicker
does not always mean better. As shield thickness increases, overall the
energy loss of ionising radiation rises to a peak then declines
rapidly. "In general, the lighter a material's atomic nuclei the better
the protection."

Water and polyethylene performed better than aluminium for instance,
and new hydrogen-rich materials developed by UK company Cella Energy
tested better still. Cella Energy originally developed its
patent-pending materials for storing hydrogen fuel but is currently
investigating their radiation resistance. Editor's Note:
Cella Energy has partnered with Space Florida and is working at the
state's Space Life Sciences Lab at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (10/11)

Emergence of Cyber Security Products
for Space Systems (Source: Space Safety)
With recent events, such as the published cyber breach of Landsat-7 and
Terra AM-1 and cyber intrusions into space agencies like NASA and JAXA,
public awareness of the cyber defense needs of space assets is rising .
Questions such as ‘what is being done to protect satellites and ground
stations?’ are being asked by governments, service providers, and
possibly even users. Who is offering cyber defense services for
satellites? Is there any benefit to a cyber security solution designed
specifically for the satellite environment?

In our quest for answers we came across US-based Kratos Defense &
Security Solutions and its RT Logic subsidiary. RT Logic provides cyber
protection for ground stations, satellite test equipment, and satellite
operations. According to the company, RT Logic’s innovative products
have been used and proven in 85% of space missions. And now, with the
evolution of satellite networks there’s a new class of threats with
which to contend. “The migration of satellite ground networks to
IP-based technologies is delivering tremendous benefits in cost,
performance, and interoperability, but it also brings along increased
cyber security risks,” according to RT Logic. Click here.
(10/5)

It’s Not the Plane, It’s Human
Physiology: New Shift in the F-22 Investigation (Source: Space
Safety)
It seems that basic human needs weren’t among the primary drivers for
the designers of the near-invisible American fighter jet F-22.
Following the investigation into a series of incidents related to pilot
hypoxia and breathing difficulties, General Mike Hostage, the head of
Air Combat Command (ACC), said last week that “human frailty” is the
major problem and that the American aviators need to be trained that
the main issue when flying the stealthy jet is the work of breathing.

A small US Air Force working group was aware of the potential issues
years before the actual accidents took place. The working group formed
in 2005 even proposed a series of fixes to prevent the hypoxia and
breathing difficulties. Some experts even named the decreasing budget
of the US Air Force as the main culprit. It was supposedly the lack of
funding that led to underestimation of the importance of expertise in
flight physiology and Human System Integration. The recent remark of
General Hostage somehow seems to confirm this presumption. “There
wasn’t any flaw in the airplane,” Hostage said. (10/4)

The Gargantuan Telescope Designed to
Find Life on Other Planets (Source: The Atlantic)
Twenty years ago, in the year Bill Clinton was elected president,
scientists first confirmed the existence of a planet outside our solar
system. Now, we know there are thousands of other planets just in our
galaxy, even if we've only detected them indirectly. We also finally
know what it's going to take to glimpse an exoplanet, to actually see
the places that might harbor life like ourselves (or otherwise).

The telescope that will eventually do so is on the drawing board. It
has a profound name: ATLAST. Astronomers sense that they are on the
brink of an epochal discovery, and they are keen to build the
telescopes that will enable it. Well, at first glance, a 16-meter
telescope sounds absolutely impossible. But let's think through this.
Click here.
(10/11)

Business Expo on Oct. 16 for Cape
Canaveral Spaceport (Source: NASA)
The NASA/KSC HUBZone Industry Day and Expo (EXPO) will feature
approximately 175 business and government exhibits. Exhibitors include
vendors from a variety of products and services. Representatives of
NASA, the 45th Space Wing, prime contractors, and other Government
agencies will be available to answer specific questions about doing
business with their respective organizations. Counseling / matchmaking
sessions will be available for those interested. Additional information
will be provided during the Opening Ceremony. Click here. (10/11)

Huygens Landing on Titan Recreated
(Source: SpaceRef)
ESA's Huygens probe bounced, slid and wobbled its way to rest in the 10
seconds after touching down on Saturn's moon, Titan, in January 2005, a
new analysis reveals. The findings provide novel insight into the
nature of the moon's surface. Scientists reconstructed the chain of
events by analyzing data from a variety of instruments that were active
during the impact, in particular changes in the acceleration
experienced by the probe. The instrument data were compared with
results from computer simulations and a drop test using a model of
Huygens designed to replicate the landing. Click here.
(10/11)

Avanti’s Shares Fall after Posting
$25M Operating Loss (Source: Space News)
Startup satellite broadband operator Avanti Communications on Oct. 10
reported sharply higher revenue, but also a higher operating loss, for
the year ending June 30, the first full year of operations of the
company’s Hylas 1 Ka-band satellite. London-based Avanti said the
results are in line with what it expected, and that the backlog of
orders for both Hylas 1 and the just-launched Hylas 2 satellites
suggests that both will be filled by 2016. (10/11)

Defense Firms Appear Reluctant to
Pre-Sequestration Issue Pink Slips (Source: Roll Call)
Despite urging from Republican lawmakers, defense industry analysts and
some companies themselves say it may not be necessary to issue layoff
notices ahead of the November election to prepare for possible
sequestration cuts to defense. While some GOP leaders have been calling
for defense contractors to issue the warnings to comply with federal
law, assurances by the Obama administration that companies won't face
legal costs if they don't issue layoff notices appears to be having
some effect, this feature says. (10/10)

Time is Running Out for Sequester
Solution (Source: Aviation Week)
While some are hoping for action on sequestration cuts during the lame
duck session of Congress, there may be little incentive for such
action, some experts say. A change in leadership on Capitol Hill or the
White House may mean lawmakers wait longer to take action. In either
case, the longer companies take to determine how they'll be affected by
cuts, the worse the effect may be, an analyst warns. (10/8)

NASA Gung-Ho About Small Business
(Source: USA Today)
You don't have to be a giant like Lockheed Martin or Boeing anymore to
make out-of-this-world stuff for space missions. That's because small
businesses are no longer being treated like so much space dust by the
federal government. There's a new recognition that small businesses are
innovation hubs and can turn around space jobs more quickly for less
cash. Perhaps that's why NASA has surpassed its annual small-business
contracting goal by over 28%, spending $2.6 billion on small-business
contracts.

Now more than ever, small businesses have a crack at working with NASA.
Sept. 17, NASA raised the stakes on its Small Business Innovation
Research program, or SBIR, adding higher rewards for small businesses
developing concepts or prototypes in areas of space technology. NASA
has surpassed its annual small-business contracting goal by over 28
percent. (10/9)

Space Community Is Getting Younger (Source:
Aviation Week)
There were a lot of fresh faces at the International Astronautical
Congress this year—more than 500, to be a little more precise—all
students enrolled in courses of study that potentially could help them
find their way into the space industry. Meeting in Naples, Italy, the
63rd IAC attracted a younger crowd than in past years, with fully
one-third of the almost 4,000 participants under the age of 35.

“The development of this field will pave the way for job
opportunities,” De Magistris told the opening session of the Congress,
which included a large cadre of young temporary workers hired to help
with the nuts and bolts of the international gathering. Many of them
have university degrees and excellent skills in multiple languages, but
they can't find jobs and often live with their parents while sending
resumes all over the European Union to no avail.

There are some 10,000 aerospace jobs in the region around Naples, a
quarter of the national total. The region's five universities have 23
courses of study to serve the industry. That, and the effort that went
into luring the IAC to Naples and organizing it once the Paris-based
International Astronautical Federation (IAF) chose the city, show the
importance Italy places on the space industry for its rising
generation. (10/8)

Grants Help Scientists Explore
Boundary Between Science and Science Fiction (Source: Space
Daily)
Two University of California, Berkeley, scientists have received
research grants to explore areas of science that bleed into science
fiction. Astronomer Geoff Marcy, who kicked off the search for
extrasolar planets 20 years ago, plans to rummage through data from the
Kepler space telescope in search of evidence for civilizations advanced
enough to have built massive orbiting "solar" power stations.

Theoretical physicist Raphael Bousso will look for ways of detecting
universes other than our own, and try to understand what these
alternate universes, or multiverses, will look like. Marcy and Bousso
are among 20 innovative researchers who will share more than $4 million
in New Frontiers in Astronomy and Cosmology International Grants that
were announced Thursday, Oct. 4, by the University of Chicago. Click here.
(10/11)

BAE Systems-EADS Merger is Abandoned
(Source: Bloomberg)
The proposed merger between British defense contractor BAE Systems and
European Aeronautic Defence and Space, parent company of aircraft
manufacturer Airbus, was abandoned today. "Discussions with the
relevant governments had not reached a point where both companies could
fully disclose the benefits and detailed business case for this
merger," BAE said in a statement. (10/10)

Report: Air Force Would be Hit Hard in
First Year of Defense Cuts (Source: Defense News)
The House Appropriations Committee released a report Tuesday detailing
anticipated cuts to military spending if sequestration is enacted. The
Air Force is expected to absorb a major portion of the cuts in the
first year, slashing funding for its programs to develop the KC-46
aerial tanker, design a new bomber aircraft and improve the F-35
fighter program. Other major cuts in defense spending would affect the
Army, the Navy, the Department of Defense and the National Nuclear
Safety Administration. (10/10)

Commercial Crew Chief Bullish on
Brevard County (Source: Florida Today)
"Well, I would tell you for the Space Coast, all three [Commercial Crew
providers] are going to fly right from here. So that is outstanding.
Obviously, SpaceX is going be doing work here also. Space X also has a
number of missions for the (cargo resupply) contract. Boeing, if they
were to continue on through these competition phases and get in the
next couple rounds, they’re going to be building their vehicle right
here in Florida. And Sierra also will be launching from here and doing
landings from here."

How big a deal is it for Brevard to actually make the transition from
being more than just the launch operation, but being able to
manufacture spacecraft in that period before you go into a
launch? "I think a number of these companies have all figured out
that we have great skills and great talent here in Brevard County. Most
of them would like to have started a couple years ago to get the
shuttle folks as they were coming off the shuttle work, but... that
skill base is still here and I think all those companies would like to
be building on that skill base."

"And once you start building manufacturing capability, like here in
Brevard County, as they begin to build those vehicles here, that will
become the mainstay, probably for a whole generation of building
spacecraft here. So all this kind of work being done here says that the
nation, and these companies, are looking to the skilled workforce right
here on the Space Coast." Click here.
(10/10)

NASA Gets VAB Ready for Next
Generation Rockets (Source: Florida Today)
Jim Bolton spent almost eight years as NASA’s vehicle manager for the
orbiter Atlantis. Now Bolton, 54, is playing a key role in an extreme
makeover: modifying the landmark Vehicle Assembly Building for
supersized rockets being designed to send American astronauts to deep
space destinations. NASA modified the building for the shuttle program
in the late 1970s, and now, with the orbiter fleet retired, engineers
are preparing the VAB for its next role: rockets that will rival the
Saturn V.

So Bolton and other engineers with NASA’s Ground Systems Development
and Operation Program are in the midst of the most extensive renovation
ever of the VAB. Much of the building’s infrastructure is original. So
NASA’s aim in part is to bring the facility up to modern building and
safety codes. A corroded fire suppression system will be replaced along
with aging boilers and chillers that feed hot and cold water to the
facility. More than 50 miles of Apollo-era copper cabling is being
pulled out, and a modern fiber-optic network will be put in. The
building’s electrical system will be upgraded.

Also to be refurbished: Four 456-foot doors to the four high bays — the
world’s largest — and five primary overhead cranes that hoist rocket
stages and other hardware. Bolton is now focusing on the removal of
work platforms in High Bay 3. During the next few years, NASA will
install 20 new platforms to provide access to towering Space Launch
System rockets. Click here.
(10/10)

Toyota Hypes Truck Used to Tow
Endeavour in Los Angeles (Source: USA Today)
Toyota has cranked up the publicity machine when it comes to its
planned towing of the space shuttle Endeavour across a Los Angeles
freeway overpass with one of its Tundra pickup trucks. The automaker
has created a pretty cool website devoted to its bit part in the move
starting Friday. The decommissioned shuttle is on its way from Los
Angeles International Airport, where it was dropped off by its Boeing
747 hauler, to its retirement home at the California Science Center
near the city's downtown.

While the shuttle is going to be along 12 miles of city streets, the
Tundra will only get a chance to show its stuff over a few hundred feet
-- on Manchester Avenue across the San Diego (405) Freeway. That be
enough for its publicity coup and to capture enough footage for a TV
ad. Commercial vehicles will handle the rest of the shuttle's journey.
Toyota no longer plans to use the pickup for the last quarter mile to
the doorsteps of the museum. (10/10)

Elon Musk's Mom Excited for SpaceX
(Source: Forbes)
Big Day For SpaceX As Elon Musk Tells His Mom 'I Haven't Started Yet'
When Elon Musk’s SpaceX Dragon capsule berthed with the International
Space Station earlier today it was the first successful cargo mission
there made by a private company. Maye Musk, up at 6am in New York, saw
every second. Not that it was a relaxing experience.

“The weeks coming up to the launch you feel sick in the gut,” she told
me, just back from a fashion shoot in Holland. The excitement in her
South African lilt spoke volumes. “It’s your child! And it’s not just
your child–it’s America! This is for America, for the planet. It’s for
other planets. It’s kind of huge.”

Indeed. Maye has closely followed the SpaceX launches for months,
arranging viewing parties at her Manhattan apartment and live Tweeting
about them as they happen. (An example: “@MayeMusk ‘@SpaceX At 1:40PM
ET, astronauts opened #Dragon’s hatch, one day ahead of schedule.
Success!’ Ice cream is the motivator.”) (10/11)

Space Florida Wins Another Economic
Development Award (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida received a Silver Excellence in Economic Development
Award for the Igniting Innovation (I2) Capital Acceleration Showcase in
the category of “Special Event for Communities with Populations of
500,000+” from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC).
(10/11)

Satellite Imagery Firms Told To Expect
Slower Growth in U.S. Government Sales (Source: Space News)
The U.S. government expects to increase its use of commercial satellite
imagery for civil and military purposes in the coming years, but the
increase will “descend, slightly” from its previously expected level,
U.S. National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper said.

“There is no bigger fan of commercial imagery than I,” Clapper said in
an Oct. 9 address to the GeoInt 2012 conference in Orlando, Fla. “It
has tremendous advantages [and] can be shared with foreign allies and
partners.” Nonetheless, Clapper said that “in a constrained funding
environment” tough choices need to be made and one of those choices was
to slow the previously planned rate of increase in government purchases
of commercial satellite imagery. (10/11)

The Importance of Dragon's Cargo
Return Capability (Source: Parabolic Arc)
While the first NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) flight to the
International Space Station is historic, the delivery and more
importantly the return of science samples is pivotal. Since the
retirement of the shuttles, the only return capability available from
the space station was via the Russian Soyuz vehicle, with cold stowage
even more limited — but not anymore. SpaceX is now able to provide this
service as well. Dragon provides a new U.S. capability to deliver and
return cargo — including science investigations, particularly those
that require cold stowage. A successful demonstration flight to the
station completed in May.

Dragon carries approximately 882 pounds of cargo, including equipment
and supplies for the 166 planned investigations for the Expedition 33
timeframe; 63 of these are new investigations. Dragon will return to
Earth with close to 866 pounds of scientific supplies — including
samples from research involving human health, biotechnology, and
materials research, along with educational investigations and
approximately 518 pounds of station hardware. Though resupply is
important, significant science sample return capability is exciting for
the research community. (10/11)

Eutelsat Order Bolsters Lean Year for
Thales Alenia Space (Source: Space News)
Thales Alenia Space will build the Eutelsat 8 West B telecommunications
satellite to be operational in 2015 to bolster the 7/8 degrees west
television lineup offered by Eutelsat and Egypt’s Nilesat. The contract
will bolster an otherwise lean year in telecommunications satellite
orders for the Franco-Italian satellite builder, which like its
European, U.S. and Japanese competitors is awaiting a raft of new
orders in the next three months. (10/11)

SES Orders Satellite from Boeing
(Source: SpaceToday.net)
European satellite operator SES has ordered a new communications
satellite from Boeing. The SES-9 satellite will be a large Boeing 702HP
class spacecraft, carrying a payload of Ku-band transponders, and will
operate from 108.2 degrees east in GEO. SES plans to use the satellite
to provide direct-to-home broadcasting services in parts of Asia as
well as maritime communications services in the Indian Ocean region.
Launch of the spacecraft is planned for 2015. (10/11)

Rocket Crafters Plans Colorado Launches
(Source: Denver Business Journal)
Front Range Airport — site of a proposed Colorado spaceport — announced
Wednesday that it has signed a letter of intent with Rocket Crafters
Inc. for horizontal launch, dual-propulsion, suborbital flight
operations. The letter of intent outlines a mutual intent to promote
and develop Spaceport Colorado at Front Range Airport in Adams County
as “the preferred commercial spaceport location in America’s
heartland,” according to a press release.

If Front Range Airport secures a spaceport license from the Federal
Aviation Administration, Titusville, Fla.-based Rocket Crafters said it
will locate certain pilot astronaut and mission specialist training
activities at the spaceport. Rocket Crafters further plans to conduct
test flights of its planned Sidereus and Cosmos Mariner suborbital
flight vehicles between Spaceport Colorado and the proposed Neil
Armstrong International Air & Space Center in Titusville. (10/11)